Selectively adjustable sign assembly



Aug. 18, 1959 J, M. WELLMAN SELECTIVELY ADJUSTABLE SIGN ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 17, 1958 1 4 uwavrok VJAMESM. WELLMAN ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,899,762 SELECTIVELY ADJUSTABLE SIGN ASSEMBLY James M. Wellman, Lakeland, Fla.

Application January 17, 1958, Serial No. 709,614

4 Claims. (Cl. 40-68) This invention relates to an improved selectively adjustable sign assembly of the character especially adapted for use in the door of a doctors or lawyers oflice, for example.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a selectively adjustable sign assembly for use in a slotted aperture of a support panel such as a door or the like, the sign assembly including a plurality of selectively positionable indicia signs adjustable in a properly oriented position from the side of the support panel remote from that at which the indicia signs would normally be observed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a selectively adjustable sign assembly of the character involved including means for orienting a selected indicia sign in a proper position for observation, and including means for selecting the individual indicia signs from a position remote from that at which they will be observed, the last mentioned means including indicia portions related to the individual indicia signs for facilitating the remote adjustment of the same.

A further object of this invention is to provide a selectively adjustable sign assembly including a housing member to be received in a slotted support panel, the housing member incorporating an apertured face plateand having journalled therein a polygonal prism incorporating plural faces upon which different indicia signs will be disposed, the faces being selectively locatable in parallel relationship to the apertured face plate, the housing member including operating means facilitating the location and orientation of a selected indicia sign in a proper position for observation in relation to the apertured face plate, and means in the housing engageable with the polygonal prism for orienting of the signs in a proper observation position in relation to the face plate.

More particular objects of the invention will become apparent from the reading of the following description of the preferred embodiment, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the novel selectively adjustable sign assembly;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the novel sign assembly, looking at the side opposite that shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken substantially on line 33 of Figure 1, showing by means of phantom lines the slotted support panel for the sign assembly;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 1, showing by means of dotted lines the manner in which a sign assembly may be accommodated in support panels of difierent widths;

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 55 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a section taken on line 6--6 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a selectively adjustable sign assembly is indicated generally at 10, including a housing member indicated generally at 12 and a back plate indicated generally at 14. The sign assembly will be utilized on a suitable support panel such as a door D, see Figures 3 through 6, the door panel incorporating a transverse rectangular slot S. As will subsequently beice come apparent, as seen in Figure 4, the back plate 12 will facilitate the mounting of the sign assembly on support panels of varying widths as indicated at D'.

The housing member 12 comprises a rectangular elongated casing 16 including parallel top and bottom walls 18 and 20, respectively, normal to transverse parallel end walls 22 and 24. Suitably secured by means of spot welding, for example, to inwardly turned flanges 26 and 28 of the respective top and bottom walls, and outwardly turned flanges 30 and 32 of the respective end walls, said flanges being in coplanar relationship, is a face plate 34. The face plate 34 is transversely apertured at 36 adjacent the corners thereof for receiving suitable fastening elements such as wood screws 38 therethrough, see Figure 3. The face plate includes a peripheral bevel 40 engageable with the outer surface of the door panel and extending around the slot S. The face plate has formed therein an elongated longitudinally extending peripherally beveled slot or aperture 42 through which, as will subsequently become apparent, selectively adjustable indicia signs may be observed.

Suitably secured between the top and bottom walls 18 and 20 in spaced parallel relationship to the end wall 22 is a support plate 44, as most clearly seen in Figures 3 and S. The plate 44 has extending therethrough an aperture portion 46 in coaxial relationship to an aperture portion 48 in the end wall 24. Indicated generally at 50 is an indicia rotor comprising, in the preferred embodiment, a hexagonal prism incorporating a plurality of faces 52 upon which an indicia sign 54 is disposed, reading for example, Come in, Please knock, Do not disturb, Out to lunch, Closed, and one of the sides 52 may be left blank to provide a space on which some other indicia sign may be disposed. The just mentioned signs may be identified by an indicia numeral, see Figure 2, and numbered from 1 through 5, and that side left blank may be numbered 6 and have disposed adjacent thereto a suitable retaining collar 56 in which a suitable insert card 58 will be disposed. The just mentioned indicia numbers will be provided on the exposed surface 60 of the back plate 12 which may be observed in ones olfice, for example. Back plate 12 has extending therethrough a vertically extending slot 62 which will communicate with a,

space 64 formed between the end wall 22 and the support plate 44, see Figure 3.

The indicia rotor 50 may be constructed of any suitable material and includes on its longitudinal axis, defining its axis of rotation, a support axle 66, opposite ends of which extend through the coaxial apertures 46 and 48. Secured on the axle 66 adjacent the support plate 46 is a drive gear 68, and secured on the axle 66 adjacent the end wall 24 is a polygonal abutment element 70, the sides of the element 70 being in parallel relationship to the sides 52 of the indicia rotor. As most clearly seen in Figure 6, orienting means is provided for positioning the indicia signs 54 in parallel relationship to the face plate in a proper position for observation through the slot 42. The orienting means comprises a leaf spring element 72, one end of which being secured by means of a rivet 74 to the undersurface of the top wall 18, the other end of which being formed as a curved abutment portion 76 to engage at the points 78 formed by the intersecting sides of the polygonal abutment element 7 ii.

Indicated generally at 80 is operating means for selectively adjusting or positioning a selected indicia sign in a proper position for observation, the operating means including a driving pinion gear 82 meshed with the drive gear 68 of the indicia rotor and supported on a suitable support axle 84 journalled by means of trunnion portions disposed in coaxial apertures 86 and 88 formed in the end wall 22 and the support plate 44, see Figure 3. Secured on the axle 44 for rotation in the space 64 is a peripherally knurled, manually rotatable operating wheel 9%, a portion of which, as clearly seen in Figures 2, 3 and 4, extending through the vertical slot 62 in the back plate. The wheel 90 includes thereon in equally spaced relationship indicia numbers 92 alignable with an indicia mark 4 on the surface 6% of the back plate to facilitate remote selective positioning of the indicia signs 54 through the use of the labels 96 used for readily identifying the indicia signs.

As seen in Figure 4, the back plate 12 may be positioned in closing relationship to the casing 18 away from the face plate 34, and the slot 62 is of a sufficient length to accommodate positioning of the back plate to accommodate the sign assembly on support panels of varying widths as indicated at D and D. The back plate 12 incorporates apertures 96 adjacent its corners for receiving therethrough suitable fastening elements such as Wood screws 93, see Figure 3, and is peripherally bevelled at 1%!) for engaging the adjacent surface of the support panel upon which the sign assembly is mounted.

Although the indicia rotor 50 has been disclosed as a hexagonal prism, other polygonal prisms may be utilized in a manner believed to be readily apparent. Additionally, the manner in which the selectively adjustable sign assembly is utilized is believed to be readily apparent from the description above, and accordingly further description is believed to be unnecessary.

The construction shown embodies the invention in a preferred form, but it is intended that the disclosure be illustrative rather than definitive, the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A selectively adjustable sign assembly for use in a slotted support panel comprising a housing member including an apertured face plate, an indicia rotor journaled in said housing member, a plurality of indicia signs on said rotor selectively exposable at said apertured face plate, and manually-operable operating means in said housing operatively connected to said indicia rotor for rotating said indicia signs to a position to be observed through said face plate, said operating means including an operating portion exposed in spaced relation from said face plate and accessible to be rotated from the side of the housing in which the sign assembly is supported opposite that side from which the indicia signs will be observed, orienting means in said housing member in engagement with said indicia rotor for positioning said indicia signs in a proper observation position relative to a L: said apertured face plate, said operating portion including selectively positionable plural indicia portions related to said plural indicia signs whereby a. selected indicia portion located in a predetermined position orients a selected indicia sign in an observation position, and a separate back plate having mounting means for engagement on the panel member upon which the sign assembly is to be mounted, said back plate being positionable in spaced relation from said face plate, said operating portion extending partially through said back plate, said back plate including indicia means thereon correlated to said indicia portions on said operating portion whereby a selected indicia sign may be positioned at said back plate from the side of the support panel opposite that which the face plate and indicia signs are exposed.

2. In a sign assembly as set forth in claim 1 in which said indicia rotor comprises an elongated polygonal prism including a plurality of face portions upon which said indicia signs are disposed, each of said face portions being positionable in parallel relationship to the face plate of said housing member.

3. In a sign assembly as set forth in claim 2 in which said rotor extends longitudinally of said housing, said manually-operable operating means comprises a gear coaxial with the axis of rotation of said rotor at one end thereof, a pinion drive gear journaled on an axis of rotation parallel to that of the gear, said operating portion 7 comprising a Wheel extending partially out of said back plate coaxial with the axis of rotation of said pinion drive gear.

4. In a sign assembly as set forth in claim 2 in which said orienting means comprises a polygonal abutment element on said rotor coaxial with the axis of rotation thereof, said abutment element including sides parallel to those of said rotor, and a spring element extending from said housing in abuting engagement at the intersection of adjacent sides of said polygonal element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 699,837 Edmondson May 13, 1902 1,029,497 Goodwin June 11, 1912' 1,121,486 Evans Dec. 15, 1914 FOREIGN PATENTS 767,570 France July 20, 1934 

